Déjà Entendu
by i am jack's wasted life
Summary: Edward never came back, and Jacob was too late to stop any permanent damage. A century later, Bella lives her life with Jake loyally at her side. The catch? Bella can't remember anything before the attack. And Jake never reminded her. Full summary inside.
1. He Doesn't Look a Thing Like Jesus

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Twilight.**_

**A/N: **So here's something new. I'm sure someone's done it already, but it was ready to combust in my head if I didn't get it down on paper. Enjoy… -A.

**Summary:** After New Moon. Edward doesn't come back. Bella went to the meadow in hopes to find him, yet instead she found Laurent (as we all know). Unfortunately, Jake and Sam were a little too late. Nearly a century passes, and Bella lives her life happily with Jake loyally at her side. She works in the Seattle Clinic as a Children's Cancer Specialist. The catch? Carlisle is called to work at the clinic, and he's bringing his dear friend, Dr. Mason. The OTHER catch? Bella can't remember the Cullen's—at all—and Jake never made an attempt to remind her…

—

**Déjà Entendu**

_Annie_

**Chapter One**

_He Doesn't Look a Thing Like Jesus_

—

"_He doesn't look a thing like Jesus,_

_but he talks like a gentleman,_

_like you imagined when you were young."_

-The Killers

—

"Doctor Swan to the front clinic immediately, please." A woman's hollow and mechanical voice sounded through the busy hospital halls.

"Here, Carry. Let Lucy know I'll be over to check on her in just a minute, I need to find out what's up in the front." I handed Nurse Carry back the clipboard and watched as the young blonde doctor nodded and ran off in the opposite direction, the sound of her purple scrubs swishing and echoing behind me.

I walked to the front of the hospital, idly aware of how natural my movements around humans had become, and how well I had existentially learned to disguise them; then again, I had nearly a century to perfect them…

"Bella, there you are." The Chief of Medicine said to me as he leaned against the front desk. "I need you to go home. Please, don't make me beg again."

I reached the desk and flashed the small, gray, balding man a thoughtful smile. He was always worrying. "John, please, I don't need to leave. Besides, I promised Lucy I'd be the one to check in on her tonight; I'm thrilled she's finally warming up to _someone_. I can handle a few more hours." I noticed the male nurse behind the counter was paying too much attention to mine and the CM's conversation, and not enough attention to the patients waiting to be seen. I flashed him a quick smile, bringing him out of whatever reverie he was caught up in. He looked away embarrassedly and quickly busied himself with patients in the waiting room.

"'_A few more hours?'_ Bella, you've been here since five! It's nearly midnight! And you look like you haven't gotten a good night's rest in almost a week! Please, do me this favor and put me out of my misery by going home and resting for a bit before we need to find you your own room. I know you think you're invincible, but this isn't healthy, and I need my doctors in top shape." I smiled a knowing smile to myself. "Look, now you have me begging, _again._ Bella, you're one of my best doctors, and a good friend, so please, _please _get some rest. And not in the lounge this time. At home. Where you belong. Do you even remember where you live? I swear it seems like you've been residing here permanently since I hired you!"

He chuckled in his deep fatherly voice at his statement, and I let my bell-like laughter join in.

"John, I understand, really I do. But you don't need to worry about me. I'm fine. And perfectly healthy—" I couldn't help the knowing smile from creeping back up again. "—I assure you. But I promised Lucy. I need her to feel comfortable here, at least until her mother comes back in. She said she'd be here around six. I can handle six more hours. Then I'll go home and rest for a bit before I come back in at noon. So there, that's six hours of rest. Does that help any?" I asked, looking to strike a deal with old man.

He huffed and looked away at the ground, thinking to himself. After a moment, he finally met my gaze, with a hard, stern look. "Stay until six, but take tomorrow off. I need you to be _well_ rested. Emphasis on the 'well.' I have two new doctors starting tomorrow—they're coming all the way from Connecticut to help with a few special cases. I only need one of them here, so the other can take over your position while you're out. He's supposedly well trained in your field. Lucy will have her mother then, and you can have a personal day." He countered my deal with a 'no-if-ands-or-buts-about-it' tone.

I looked at him with eyes filled with disapproval.

"Bella, don't give me that. You're the only doctor I know who hates taking personal days. I promise you, the gentleman starting tomorrow will be able to handle your shift, and you can pick up where you left off when you come back on Wednesday. Please, don't argue with me and just do it."

I held my gaze a moment longer before I gave in. He was my boss after all.

"Fine. I'll take the personal day, but I can't say I'll enjoy it." I added the last part with a smirk. This conversation was routine for us.

"I never said you had to enjoy it, Bella. In fact, use the entire day to sleep. It'll pass by before you know it." He smiled back at me.

"Fair enough." I again smiled warmly at the caring doctor and began to retreat back to the children's ward. That is, until I heard the doctor speak to the male nurse—who was still snooping on our conversation—and ask for a duplicate of Lucy's file.

I stopped and turned my head, curious to his motives.

"I think I'll pay Lucy a visit before I head out for the night, just to see how she's handling." He said when he noticed my curiosity. The nurse handed him the charts and turned back to his waiting patients, but not before throwing me a quick glance and looking away, embarrassed all over again.

"That would be nice, Lucy enjoys visitors for the most part." I said as he caught up to me. We walked a slow pace back to children's rooms.

"So who are the two new doctors you've hired? I take it they'll be helping out with the John Doe case on level two?" I asked, making small talk on the way to our destination.

"Yes, they will. I'm good friends with one of them; I had the pleasure of working with him not so long ago, for a brief period of time before he left for Connecticut. He used to live just outside of Seattle. The other is a step cousin of his, who apparently is just as practiced with medicine. Doctor Cullen and Doctor Mason. They should be arriving around six for a chat-in with me. They haven't had enough time to review the charts of the patient." He replied.

"Oh, so you get to rest for six hours and deem that appropriate, but I have to take a whole personal day. How fitting." I answered, sarcasm laced within my remark.

He chuckled along with me. "Bella, Bella, Bella…what am I ever going to do with you?" He shook his head with faux frustration.

"So which one gets to replace me tomorrow?" I continued with my sarcasm.

"Well, I originally called Doctor Cullen for his help, and though I don't need to have to two professionals on the case, it will be beneficial in the end, I suppose. But I'm sure we'll be ok with just one tomorrow, so I'll send Doctor Mason to your department to help the nurses."

"Lucy won't like him." I answered.

He sighed. "I know. But if she wants to see more of you, then you need tomorrow off. Sorry, but rules are rules. I don't need the health department on my case about over-working my staff."

We were finally at Lucy's door. I knocked lightly to make her aware of our presence before stepping into her room. The young girl was sleeping soundly; her golden curls sprawled across her pillow and the heart monitor beeping subtly in the background.

"Finally," I breathed at the foot of her bed, the other doctor right at my side. "She hasn't slept in almost two days, I'm so happy she's found some peace."

"Hm, sounds like someone I know…" The doctor whispered next to me before chuckling quietly to himself.

I threw him another glance of disapproval before stalking quietly over to her monitors to record her progress. Nurse Carry had left the clipboard on the bedside table, unchecked, for me to fill out.

Once I was through checking her stats, I took a moment to look over my patient, all too aware that the CM was still in the room. I touched her cheek, loving how warm she felt, and noting to myself that she was just under from running a fever. She stirred slightly under my touch, persuading me to pull away. I started walking for the door, the CM turning with me when I heard a small voice.

"Wait."

I turned around to find Lucy's eyes barely open, her hand in the air, signaling me to stop from exiting her room.

"Lucy, no, you need to go back to bed." I started as I began to turn around and approach the girl.

"No, Doctor Swan, stay. Please. I don't want you to leave." The small girl's blue eyes were completely open and full of sad pleas.

I glanced over at my boss, who returned my look with a blank face, as if letting me choose to do as I pleased.

"Lucy, I'm sorry I woke you, but you need your rest before your mom comes, or else you'll sleep right through her entire visit. I know you don't want that." I said, pleading back with her.

"Please, Doctor Swan, I don't want to be alone. I want you to stay. At least for a little bit, please?" She asked this time.

I smiled kindly at her before walking back to her side and taking a seat in the chair that I had used to so many times before when keeping her company.

"Ok, but only for a little bit." I said. I immediately saw her smile, and lower her hand back down to her side.

"Thank you." She whispered.

I looked back to my boss to see whether he would stay or not. He of course still stood at the foot of her bed.

"Lucy, you remember Doctor Wellington, right? He was curious as to how you were feeling." I noted to the little girl beside me.

"Hello." She mumbled to the doctor. Lucy was still shy and timid when it came to new doctors, or doctors she was unfamiliar with. Unfortunately, she was only familiar with me, and that was only because I, unlike all the other doctors here, was able to spend my free time with her. It wasn't that the other doctors lacked in personal care, it was just that I was able to get my rounds done quicker than anyone else in the hospital with the help of my century-worth of knowledge and my subtle inhuman speed.

"And how are you doing so far, Lucy?" Doctor Wellington asked.

"Good." She mumbled again. I smiled at my boss, seeing that he understood the situation.

"That's good. I'm glad you're finally becoming more comfortable with our presence." I knew exactly what the doctor meant; when Lucy first came to us from the Olympia Clinic, she wouldn't speak to anyone. It took much persuading and gentle care for her to begin to open up at all. "Do you mind if I steal Doctor Swan away for only a minute? You can have her back as soon as I'm done, I promise." He asked the small child, still standing at the foot of her bed.

She nodded a reply, but not before throwing me a desperate look to return.

"I'll only be a minute, I swear." I promised her before I stood back up and walked outside the room with the other doctor.

He shut the door behind us and turned to me.

"I'm very glad she's finally becoming more comfortable here, just as you had promised. Go ahead and spend as much time as you need with her. The night staff will finish your rounds in the mean time. In fact, if she falls asleep, feel free to take off early." He smiled knowingly at me.

"Sure, sure." I replied. We shared one more laugh before he began walking away.

"Have a nice night, Bella." He called over his shoulder.

"You too, John." I answered before walking back into the room.

"Oh, Lucy, Lucy, Lucy. What ever am I going to do with you?" I chuckled, repeating John's words from earlier that night. "You should be _sleeping."_ I said to the girl before resuming my position next to her bed.

She turned her head to look at me. She looked so frail with her breathing tubes and IV lines. "I can't. I don't want to."

I laughed at her response. "You sound like me."

"When do you leave tonight?" She asked me.

"As soon as you fall asleep, or as soon as your mother gets here. Whichever comes first." I laughed.

"You'll stay with me all night?" She asked again, this time hopeful.

"If that's what you want." I answered thoughtfully. "My boss just gave me tonight off, as well as tomorrow."

"You won't be here tomorrow?" She asked once more, her face falling at the thought.

"No, I'm supposed to rest, like you should be doing." I answered, adding in the last part sternly.

"But if you're not here, who's going to be my doctor?" She asked, suddenly afraid, of being left alone.

"Doctor Wellington's friend will be covering for me. His name is Doctor Mason. You'll meet him later on in the morning." I assured her.

"I don't want another doctor. Why can't you stay here? Why can't you be my doctor tomorrow?" She asked; I could see her blue eyes filling with tears that threatened to fall.

"Shh, Lucy, it'll be fine. I am always your doctor, don't forget that. And your mother will be here by the time Doctor Mason comes in, so you won't be by yourself." I tried to calm her.

"I know, but I don't want you to leave. Stay, please. Please don't go. I don't want you to leave tomorrow." She whispered, closing her eyes. She was trying to stop the tears that still loomed behind the bridges of her eyes.

"I know." I whispered back. "I don't want to go either. I don't need anymore sleep. But the hospital could get in trouble if I don't, and then I wouldn't be your doctor. You wouldn't be able to see me again." I reached out my hand to stroke her hair and caress her cheek.

She pulled her one hand up to hold mine to her face. "Your hands are always cold. It feels good." She said, opening her eyes finally to look at me. I noticed that she was now beginning to run a fever.

"Well good. Let me grab your medicine, we need to keep that fever of yours down." I pulled my hand away gently, and turned to a drawer behind me that housed her medicine. I grabbed the small bottle and a syringe, extracted the fluid with needle, then turned back to her IV line to inject it with the temporary remedy. "There we go." I said as I threw away the syringe and the remnants of the kit. "Better?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Your hands felt better." She replied.

I laughed and laid one of my hands across her forehead. I could feel her temperature begin to drop slightly. I smiled.

"Why are your hands so cold?" She asked.

I moved my gaze to the ceiling, feigning deep thought, then finally returned my eyes to hers after a moment. I shrugged. "Maybe the building is too cold." I answered.

"But I'm never cold."

"Well you don't count. You always have a fever." I replied.

"But even when I don't I'm not cold." She persisted.

"Then I really don't know." I smiled at her.

We sat in silence for a moment before she spoke again.

"Is Jake ever going to come back?" She asked, though she sounded timid this time, as if she were embarrassed of something.

"Jake? My friend Jacob? I thought you didn't like him…" I was puzzled. Last week when he came to visit while she was under my care, she hid from him, not wanting to be subjected to his presence. Jacob was actually hurt afterwards, and I had to convince him that it was nothing personal. Lucy was a quiet child, while Jake (who wasn't a child at all, but still seemed to be trapped in the mind-frame) was naturally boisterous and rambunctious. It was quite ironic, now that I think about it.

"No! I mean, he was just loud. Really loud." She said, a blush creeping up on her cheeks. She quickly adverted her eyes so I wouldn't notice her.

I laughed at that remark. It was incredibly true. "Well, I'm sure he can stop in for lunch when I come back. In fact, I know he'd love that." I answered coyly.

"So he's coming back?" She asked. She looked back at me. Her face was masked with fake boredom, yet I could see some hope in her eyes. It was actually quite adorable.

"Is that ok with you?" I asked in response.

"I don't mind. He was kinda fun." She answered, smiling at some of the memories of his last visit.

"Then sure, we'll have lunch with you." I smiled down at her.

"That would be nice." She continued to smile.

Again we sat in silent bliss. I let her break the silence once more.

"Do you love him?" She asked, again staring up at me innocently.

"Pardon me?" I asked back, completely oblivious to what she intended to know.

"Do you love Jake?" She asked again.

I looked past her, caught off guard and this time sincerely finding myself deep in thought. I did love Jake, but not in a romantic sense. "Yes." I replied after a moment of thinking. I decided not to go into details, as it would only become to complicated for a nine-year-old to understand.

"How long have you loved him?" She asked again.

"A while." I answered. I wanted to stay as honest as was possible with her, without giving away too much information.

"How did you meet him?" She continued.

Now this was something else that left me deep in thought. "I…Well, I remember him saving me, but I know how we had met before then."

"How did he save you? Why don't you remember?" Her curiosity was suddenly spiked to advanced levels.

"It's a long story…" I started; it wasn't one that I could go on vaguely about.

"Tell it?" She asked. "Please?" She was beaming up at me with her innocent blue eyes, and I found myself surrendering to them.

"Well… I guess, but it's complicated."

"I don't care, I can keep up!" She assured me.

"Ok, I'll try, but I'm sorry if you become confused. Honestly I'm still a little confused myself." She nodded eagerly at me as I stared at her perplexedly. "Well, according to Jake, I had known him for a very long time, his father and my father were close friends. However, I don't remember any of that."

"Why?" She asked, cutting me off.

I held up a finger to allow me to continue.

"Well, one day, and I don't know why I had chosen this day, or what I was doing, but one day I guess I had decided to venture off into the forest. I don't know how long I had been out there, but, from what I've been told, I had come across a…hunter." I fished for the appropriate wording. "He was a very bad guy, and wanted to hurt me."

"How old were you?" She asked again; too impatient for me to continue at my pace.

"Eighteen." I said, after putting one of my fingers over her mouth to signal her silence. "As I was saying, this hunter wanted to hurt me. I can't remember exactly what injuries I sustained—" I lied quickly. "—but somewhere in the scenario, I had hit my head quite hard, and received a concussion, which eventually led to me passing out and slipping into a coma—what you were in a few months ago, do you remember?" I asked her, finding someway to help her better understand what I was saying.

She nodded eagerly. But I continued my story, to stop her from interrupting once more.

"When I awoke, Jacob was there. He had told me I'd hit my head. He had said that he'd stopped the hunter from hurting me further, but when I couldn't remember him, he filled me in on what my memory had lost. He reminded me of how we played together as children, and of how he had only seen me just the day before. However I couldn't remember any of that, and to this day, I still can't remember." I finished.

"You can't?" She asked after taking it all in.

"Nope." I smiled down at her to assure it was ok.

"But I thought people always do remember, after a while." She pleaded, wanting me to remember.

"I know, I thought that too. But I guess it's not always true." I answered.

"But something is supposed to remind you, something is supposed bring back all your memories, like a person, or a place." She continued.

"I know…" I whispered, more to myself than to her. "But I guess I'm not that lucky. It's ok though, I still have Jacob, and he remembers it all for me. We even have pictures of before the incident. But I still can't remember any of those times."

Lucy just stared at me, taking everything in.

"Is that why you became a doctor?" She asked.

"Um, I suppose that's one of the reasons, yes." I answered, continuing to smile at the young girl.

She looked away for a moment and whispered an, "Oh" under her breath. Then she let out a huge yawn, the purple bags under her eyes becoming more prominent as she did so.

"But that's a terrible story to be telling. How about I tell a different one?" I asked, opening another drawer near her bedside. This time, the drawer was filled with children's books. "Would you like to continue hearing Harry Potter?" I asked, holding up the novel that I had begun reading to her a few weeks back.

"Yeah!" She exclaimed.

I laughed at her enthusiasm. Though Harry Potter was big when I was a teenager, it still hadn't lost its luster, even a hundred years later. It had fallen into the realm of infamous fairy tales by now, and every child grew up knowing it's name, and how each story went. "Ok, where were we… oh, here we go…" I began reading where we had left off. It was only another hour of story telling until the child fell back asleep.

I slipped the book-mark back into place, making a mental note of which sentence I had read last that she would have still comprehended consciously, and continued to sit at her bed-side. It was nearly two in the morning, leaving four hours until her mother would be there.

When it was almost three, I felt my phone buzz in the pocket of my white coat. I pulled it out and flipped it open, revealing a text message from Jake.

"_John called to remind me to remind you to come home tonight. Give the poor guy a break, Bells, and take one yourself. Love ya!"_

I giggled quietly to myself, and stuffed the phone back in my pocket. John was determined to make me go home.

The next three hours flew by. Somewhere in between I had notified the night staff that I would personally keep tabs on Lucy's condition. I filled out her charts every hour, on the hour. When six o'clock came, I waited patiently in the room until I heard the door open and a woman walk in.

"Doctor Swan!" The woman whispered, "Shouldn't you be at home, asleep?" She asked me.

"Good morning, Alicia. I was on until six this morning. I figured I'd spend the last of my free time with my patient. Did you rest well?" I asked her.

"Well, I slept the best I could. How is she? Everything's ok, right?" She asked, suddenly worried.

"Shh," I calmed her, "Of course, everything is fine. I just know that Lucy doesn't like to be alone, and she's not comfortable with strangers. So I figured I'd stay with her in case she woke up." I smiled at the young woman. She looked a lot like Lucy, except her hair was straight and cut short, and her blue eyes were rimmed with dark eyeliner.

"Oh, Doctor Swan, how did my daughter get so lucky to have you care for her? I thank God every day that she has you watching over her when I'm not here. I swear, she calls you her angel, and I'm starting to believe it myself." Alicia whispered; her eyes tearing up.

"Please, you're both too much. This is my job, and I love my job." I answered her, grateful for her appreciation. "I have to leave now, but you have my cell number. Please, call me if you need anything. Anything at all. I won't be in today, Doctor Wellington insists I take a personal day to rest, but I can assure you, Doctor Mason, an equally qualified doctor will be watching over Lucy. He should be here now, although he may not be in for another hour or so."

"Oh, is he new? I saw two new doctors in the front, they were quite young, like yourself." She suddenly blushed at some thought, then discretely shook her head. "But if you say he's as good as you, I believe it. Thanks again Doctor Swan."

I stood from my seat next to Lucy and quickly gestured for Alicia to take it. "She fell asleep about four hours ago, I want her to keep sleeping through the morning; she was up all day and for a good portion of the night." I whispered the instructions to Alicia. "And like I said, call me if you need _anything._ Don't hesitate. I'll be here faster than you'd believe." I smiled once more before I saw Alicia nod, and I used that as my cue to leave.

I walked briskly down the hall, faster than I should have, but leisurely (at least for me) all the same; the soft click-clack of my heels sounding through the halls as I went. When I approached the front desk, that's when I saw them.

They were pale as chalk—like me—with eyes glowing a honey aura—like mine—and young and beautiful and attractive—as we all were known to be. Then I heard it. His voice. His eerily, familiar voice. It was a voice that would always resound in my head, the voice of my conscious, the voice of my guardian angel, the voice that talked sense to me when no sense could be made. It was a distinctive, velvety smooth voice that I had been positive, before now, could not belong to any human or inhuman being. It was coming from the younger of the two; from the one who looked to be trapped at about my age. He was tall, lean, and looked as though he were modestly hiding muscles under his tight, evergreen sweater. His hair was an odd color, bronze or auburn. It was unkempt, messy, and yet tidy all the same.

"We're glad to be here." He had said, after shaking the Chief of Medicine's hand.

I was waiting behind the desk now, next to the same male nurse that had been eavesdropping on my conversation earlier. The nurse noticed me, and I smiled warmly at him.

Then the younger doctor's head flew—so quickly that I was positive no human could have kept up—to my direction. His eyes were suddenly burning into mine. They were un-readable, yet seemed to be studying me, seemed to be perplexed at my existence. If I could guess, his ignited topaz eyes were struggling to hide bewilderment, confusion, and shock.

I was sure mine mirrored his.

That's when the other doctor noticed me as well. He was slightly older than the first, however still too young. He seemed as though he were trapped in his mid-twenties. He had slicked back blond hair. He wasn't as tall as the first doctor, but just as lean. He also did not seem as muscular as the first, though I couldn't quite tell with his ivory sweater layered atop his button-up collared shirt. However his eyes were a little subtler than the other doctor's. His too were masked, un-readable. Yet I could see confusion and surprise. I liked his eyes. I preferred to look at this doctor, for his eyes didn't seem to tear into me.

"Ah, the star of the hour. And I see you kept your word—just as defiantly as ever—and stayed until six, as expected." Doctor Wellington chuckled as he spotted me across the desk. "Gentleman, I would like to introduce you to Doctor Isabella Swan. Doctor Swan, this is Doctor Carlisle Cullen, and Doctor Edward Mason." He announced. "Isabella here is our top Children's Cancer Specialist."

It took me a moment to get over the shock of having two other doctor's like myself waltz into the clinic, however it seemed I was able to recover faster than them.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, John has told me so much." I finally spoke up as I offered my hand across the table.

The two doctors again, stared at me in masked bewilderment, neither moving to shake my hand. I quickly glanced over to the CM, noticing that he was busy with charts depicting the John Doe case.

I glanced back at the two doctors, and slowly began to retreat my hand, suddenly feeling hurt by their hesitant actions. Before I could fully pull my arm back to my side, the blond doctor—Doctor Cullen—grasped my hand firmly and smiled apologetically while shaking it.

I smiled back at him, wanting anything to make up for the confusion.

"I'm sorry," He replied sheepishly, "It's just that we're surprised to see such a young doctor like yourself so accomplished."

"I should say the same." I answered politely back to him. I kept my hand out for Doctor Mason, and noticed, after Doctor Cullen released mine, that Doctor Mason now was staring at the other doctor with confusion. Doctor Cullen glanced at him, and immediately the younger doctor turned to me and grasped my hand.

I was shocked as soon as he touched me, I felt a quick burst of feeling—almost like that of electricity—tingle through my entire arm.

"It's a pleasure." He spoke. His voice caught me off guard once again, and I felt the smile on my face falter a bit. I pulled away as soon as I could (as he also seemed to have done), and backed myself a few steps away from the desk.

"I hate to run, but I must be going," I quickly excused myself politely to the three men. "I need some rest, I've been here since yesterday morning. It was nice to finally meet you."

I heard Doctor Wellington chuckle. "It's about time!" He shouted at my retreating direction.

I hurried down the hall, and out the double doors to the lot that my car was parked in. As soon as I was in the front seat, I pulled out my phone, and dialed Jacob's number.

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Pick up!" I shouted at the phone.

_Ring. Ring._

Suddenly there was noise and rustling on the other end of the line, and I heard a groggy Jacob finally speak. "Hello?"

"Jake? I need to talk to you."

—

**A/N:** Hope you enjoyed it!


	2. Just One More Hit

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Twilight.**_

**A/N:**Thank you for the reviews, I'm glad you guys like the story so far! I love the idea of this one. I feel bad though, because you all have probably read this before. Anyway, I want to say right now, **I am not a doctor, nor a nurse, and I have no idea how work is done in a hospital. I only use what very little knowledge I have picked up through unfortunate experiences.** So sorry if some of what is written is incorrect. Also, I realize I set the story a hundred years into the future. Personally, I see the future as very similar to our present. Plus, it makes the scenario easier to relate to. On another note, I can't choose what title I want to use for the story: **In Passing**, or **Déjà Entendu**. For those of you who don't know what déjà entendu means, it (like déjà vu) is French for "already been heard" (déjà vu translates to "already been seen"). I'm sure you guys can come up with the correct reasoning behind my titles, but I'm still torn between the two. If you get a chance, can you do me a favor and let me know which one you prefer? Until then, I'll keep the official title as **In Passing** and the unofficial title as **Déjà Entendu**. Enjoy the chapter. – A.

—

**Déjà Entendu**

_Annie_

**Chapter Two**

_Just One More Hit_

—

"_And I know these voices in my head are mine alone._

_And I know I'll never change my ways if I don't give you up..."_

-Kelly Clarkson

—

"Bella?" Jake asked; panic overtaking his drowsiness. "Bella, is something wrong? What happened?"

I hadn't realized I'd sounded so keyed up, but I guess it was fitting for how I felt at the moment. "No, Jake, don't worry, nothing's wrong, I'm just a little… confused. Or startled. I don't know how I feel. 'Shocked' may be a better adjective. Are you awake? I'm sorry, I know it's early, but I need you right now, I need someone to bring back some sanity, please." I pleadingly rambled to him over the phone; I still hadn't started my car yet, however I did recline the driver's seat back and closed my eyes in an attempt to find peace.

"Yeah, Bells, I'm up." I could here him move around some more on the other line. I figured he was probably pulling himself up out of bed. "Where are you? Are you still at work? Do I need to come get you?"

"No, I'm sitting in my car. I'm really sorry about this, Jake. I'll be home as soon as possible. Thanks, I really love you." I breathed into the phone.

I heard Jacob sigh. "I love you too, Bells. Be careful, ok? Whatever's going on, I'm sure it's not as bad as you think. I mean, come on, you're a _vampire!_ I'd like to _see_ someone just _try_ to mess with you! And besides that, your best friend is a _werewolf._ Enough said."

I giggled at Jacob's logic. Though he may have been around for a hundred and five years, he was still sixteen at heart, and his youth always made me feel better. "Thanks, Jake. Be home soon."

I hung up the phone, threw it to the passenger's side, and pulled my seat back up to its right position. Jake was right. This situation wasn't as bad as I was making it out to be. In truth, I wasn't worried about working with others like me, and in fact, I _wasn't_ going to be working with them; they were just working in the same building as me, in a completely different and non-related ward. At most we'll meet in passing within the doctor's lounge, and I truthfully don't even expect _that_ to occur often. What really had me worked up was that voice. Doctor Mason's voice. His voice was a clone of the one my conscience possessed. I knew this for a fact; I was in love with the voice, and I had been convinced before today that the voice was too beautiful to exist outside my imagination.

I was trying desperately to wrap my mind around the fact that the voice had actually belonged to a being living externally from my thoughts. What was more, the voice was fitting for the gentleman who owned it. He was quite beautiful, quite handsome. He looked like a god: young, healthy and striking. He was obviously intelligent as well, seeing as he was a good friend of Doctor Cullen, who was in turn close with the Seattle Clinic's Chief of Medicine.

What made this whole situation so difficult for me was the fact that the voice _did_ exist. Yet how? How could I know his voice without knowing the man before hand? Maybe I _had _known him… but that didn't even seem logical, either. Why would I know a vampire as a human? Yes, Jacob was sensitive to their presence before I was, but as I knew it, I was never involved in any of their problems between the species. There was no reason for me to be so. I lost my memory the day that vampire's venom entered my blood stream, and as far as I was aware, that was my only conscious knowledge of being within any contact of such beings.

Maybe I knew the doctor in passing; there's no telling how old he actually is, so maybe he had helped me through an accident previous to my change; Jacob informed me that I was quite clumsy before now. However this didn't seem plausible either, as Jacob would have mentioned a detail that critical. He, after all, was the one who helped me cope with my new existence after the permanent change. I'm sure he would have used the doctor as an example to insure me normal living conditions in my new state during my 'self-hate' phase. Then again, maybe Jacob wasn't in tune with the doctor's true identity. I realize now that Jacob was able to initially change into his alter state due to the presence of my kind, and in turn was able to identify them as well as me. However, maybe I had met the doctor off-hand once as a human before Jake's change in existence. That could make sense. Maybe I took a fond liking to the doctor. John had mentioned that the Cullen doctor had once lived outside of Seattle. Well, I had once lived in Forks. Granted, Forks is a good ways away from Seattle, but anything could have happened. The Mason doctor could have visited nearby and we may have had a run-in at one point. It was over a century ago, he may have even worked at a near-by hospital, one that I had visited after a cliché accident that I, at an early point, was all-too prone to seemingly always involve myself with.

Or maybe this wasn't even the same voice that I was leveled to listen to during my reckless actions. It had been a while since the voice had made itself known… I actually found recently that I was missing its presence in my daily routines. Maybe I was just so subconsciously desperate to hear it again that I was quick to assume the gorgeous vampire possessed it as well. That would rule to make my judgment irrelevant and absurd, right? Maybe his voice was just so attractive that I wanted to believe it was the same one that spoke to me during my dire times of need and care.

I couldn't be sure, and I was only making myself more and more confused in the process. One thing was certain though, that voice was like a drug to my system, and after hearing it, or at least hearing a tone similar to it, I was suddenly relapsing, and finding a drive in myself to hear it again. The last time the voice had made itself known was when I had strived for a way out of living this nightmare of perpetual awareness and blood-hunger. I had both contemplated and nearly attempted suicide many times over, and (though now I know all of my ideas would have proven useless in the end) my personal angel was there to talk me down and keep me levelheaded. Or so I believed.

Well, this one was of those moments where I needed a good dose of sanity and sensibility. Funny, though, how hearing voices could make me feel sane. Either way, I needed to hear it, to be sure. To be positive that my voice was different, that this imposter was nothing more than that, and also, to know that the high that I had felt after hearing Mason's voice was artificial, and not to be celebrated as it was not true nor accurate. His voice wasn't the genuine voice that filled the emptiness inside of me that I seemed to feel for no certain reason, and after hearing his false accent, that said emptiness was now more prominent than ever. In fact, it was burning my insides.

This entire time, I had been crouched over my steering wheel with my eyes clamped shut in thought, yet now I found myself leaning back with my arms embracing my torso, trying desperately to close the whole that I felt tearing inside me. I needed to hear him again. I needed to hear my angel speak to me, to warn me even; I needed his tone to resonate through me, and help patch the whole that was only growing with the seconds that passed ever-so-slowly. I was wasting time. I needed his voice now.

I ripped my arms away from my body with speed so unnatural, and yanked my keys from my purse's confines. I jammed them harder than necessary into the ignition, and felt the chrome surrounding the small opening surrender at my strength.

Damn. I'll have to have Jake fix that later.

I started the car quickly and backed out, idly aware of the patients walking in and out of the parking lot.

I sped off the property, gaining looks of panic and alarm as I fled onto the main road, my goal being the exit for the freeway. I knew what I was going to do, and my conscience was insolently aware as well.

Good. That's what coaxed my angel to speak.

I had blown through stop signs and ran lights to get there, easing around other drivers in the process. It only took a few seconds for me to reach my destination where the speed limit was seventy-five. I was already accelerating past ninety.

I listened as I kept my speed up, yet there was nothing but the purr of my engine.

I accelerated further, approaching one hundred…one-hundred-five…one-hundred-ten…one-hundred-fifteen…one-hundred-twenty….

_Stop._

I jerked the wheel at the sound. The rich velvet voice spoke as though its phantom body were sitting right next to me in the passenger's seat. My head spun at his words, and if blood pulsed through me, I'm sure adrenaline would have taken over my body. The feeling in my stomach dropped and I suddenly felt as though I were falling.

During my high, I managed to quickly gain control of my vehicle as it threatened to strike a car that I had so swiftly maneuvered around at my high speed. I kept my velocity relevant, willing for him to speak again. That wasn't enough, though. He stayed silent after his one word, and I needed him to keep talking. I needed to keep riding my high. I sped up. One-hundred-thirty…

A low growl abruptly emanated. _Slow down, Bella, pull over. _

The voice was angry, it snarled its words possessively, and I felt a smile creep to my lips. My falling sensation grew. I was drinking in my high now. I let my foot weigh further onto the gas pedal. One-hundred-forty….

This time, a louder growl echoed through my car.

_Pull over!_ His voice ordered.

"No." I spoke to the air. One-hundred-fifty… I was falling so fast that my stomach churned at the feeling, and my head spun quicker. The highway around me was blurred, yet I could see perfectly, weaving in and out of traffic as though the cars were stationary objects and I were merely walking around them.

_BELLA! PULL OVER!_ The voice shouted this time, his smooth voice ringing in my ears and deafening all else around me. That's what I wanted to hear.

Suddenly there were blue and red lights flashing in my rear-view mirror, regaining my attention as they kept on the tail of my car. My hearing finally registered their high-pitched sirens, and a rush of reality hit like a brick wall. A very solid and impenetrable, brick wall. I was speeding, slightly over one-hundred-sixty miles per hour, and the police were keeping up with me effortlessly. I could hear them ordering me to pull over through their loud speakers, and abruptly I was at a loss of an excuse for my defiance. I obviously couldn't explain that I was only speeding and endangering traffic to simply hear an attractive voice that only seemed to exist to me.

My high was gone, and panic quickly set in; I wasn't sure what to do besides follow the police orders. I eased my foot off the gas pedal and pulled over to the right side of the road, suddenly aware that I had passed my intended exit some while back during my fix. I felt the tires of my car roll over the gravel, and quickly shifted my car into park. I glanced into my rear-view mirror and noticed that there were three separate police chargers detaining me, one of which was pulling to park in front of my car.

The one directly behind me was now sliding out of his car, and making his way over to mine. In a desperate attempt to save my license, I quickly slipped my heel off and jammed it under the accelerator, carefully assuring that I wouldn't add any weight to the pedal; not wanting to rev the engine and give myself away.

I was already nervous about discussing the matter with the authorities, so I decided to give into my feelings as I rolled down my window to meet the young officer.

"Ma'am, what the _hell_ is so important that you needed to race at nearly a hundred and seventy miles per hour to get to?!" The officer screamed through my window. His piercing green eyes were staring daggers at me, raging with fury.

If I could cry, I can guarantee I would have been doing so at that moment. I thought about his words, and suddenly felt childish—no—_foolish _at my actions. I was ashamed. I felt like a drug-addicted criminal who had just gotten caught for driving under the influence. My breathing sped up and I began to hyperventilate.

"I-I-I-I'm s-s-sorry officer!" I sobbed through the window, suddenly clutching my chest and feeling the hole that was there before rip open anew.

"I-I-I…" I tried to speak again but he cut me off when he poked his head and his flashlight through the window and into the car, searching for any illegal possessions. The beam of the light swiped across the pedals and hovered over the accelerator, where my heel was so cleverly jammed.

"Shh, miss, please, calm down." The officer cooed, trying desperately to persuade me to compose my breathing. "Did something happen? It looks like the heel of your shoe caught under the pedal, am I correct?"

My breath raced in and out, exhaling and inhaling at what would be an unhealthy and critical pace if I were human. I kept my arms around my torso, and glanced out the other windows, noticing the remaining officers watching the scene play out between me the gentleman in my window. I closed my eyes and nodded at his words.

"I-I-I'm s-so sorry!" I sobbed. "I c-couldn't take my f-foot off the p-pedal." I whispered through my hysterics. I was telling half-truths, surprised that my antics were working so far. My hysterics were real, and they were raking through my body like tremors; side effects from the crash and detox of my previous high; and I was sorry; sorry that I had gone through with the stupid idea. I _couldn't_ take my foot off the pedal though; his voice was like a poisonous dose of insane fantasy that I suddenly realized I was sickly dependant on. I needed help. I needed Jacob. If all of this weren't true, then the police would have seen through my act from the start: I was a terrible liar.

"Miss, please, it's ok, calm down. Should we call an ambulance?" The officer whispered through my window, the light of his flashlight suddenly on my face; I could see the glow through my closed lids.

I opened my eyes. "N-no, I just n-need to b-breathe, that's all. I-I'm a d-doctor." I stopped what I was saying and inhaled a large gasp of breath, closed my eyes again, and let it out, tightening my grip around my body while doing so. I sat there for a moment before the officer spoke again.

"I see your shoe is still stuck under the pedal, I assume you were able to pull your foot out… after a little effort?" I opened my eyes and looked to where the beam of light now hovered again, then back to the officer. "Is there any damage? Is your foot ok?" He asked, suddenly concerned.

"I'm fine." I whispered back to him. "I just want to go home." I leaned my head back against the headrest of the seat and closed my eyes once more.

"Well, miss, I won't write you up for this," The officer leaned out of my window, but stayed next to the car; he ran a hand through his neatly cut black hair as he continued, "but I advise that you not wear those shoes again while driving." The officer spoke professionally to me. "Pull the shoe out from underneath the accelerator, and drive home without it. I normally wouldn't say to do so, as driving bare-foot is also illegal, but we don't need you speeding at a hundred and seventy miles per hour again."

I nodded my head at his words.

"Next time you want to wear those shoes, make sure you have an extra pair that are a little safer to drive in with you. You got that?" The officer asked.

I opened my eyes and leaned forward over my steering wheel, let out another breath of air, then turned my head and nodded. "Yes officer. I truly am sorry." My voice sounded a little stronger, but it was still shaky.

He chuckled, the whole scenario seeming humorous to him. "I believe you are. Just be careful next time." He backed a few steps away from my car, looked it over quickly, then turned back to me. "It's a nice car. I'd hate to see you wreck it." He chuckled again.

"Yes officer." I replied once more, unable to warm up to his innocent joking.

"Pull off when ever you feel ready to, miss, and have a nice day." The officer called over his shoulder.

I watched as all three policemen climbed back into their chargers and pulled away, leaving me alone on the side of the road.

I took one more deep breath and straightened up in my seat. I bent down and pulled my shoe out from under the pedal and threw it to the side, next to my purse in the passenger's seat. I let out the breath I had been holding, and shifted my car into drive. I pulled off the side of the road, fitting in with the traffic, and exited at the next ramp. I made a turn around over a bridge that pointed back to the previous highway, and drove on to it in the opposite direction. I had been, about ten exits or so, past mine, so I was looking at about another ten minutes more of driving. I refused to let my mind hover on my previous actions. I was embarrassed and ashamed, and was already working on blocking the fresh episode from my memory. I had always been good at forgetting unpleasant events, so I used those ten minutes of tedious driving to regain my composure, and by the time I had reached my destination, I no longer had to fake it.

I pulled into the driveway of the house that Jacob and I shared. No, we may not have been romantically involved, however we were quite compatible, and it seemed fitting that the two of us should stay together during our existence on the planet. It wasn't as though we had anywhere else to be. Our biggest obstacle was coping with the way the other smelled.

The house was quite modest; it was a small ranch house with ivory siding and green shudders along the sides of the large windows. Beautiful flowers of every assorted color grew along the edges of it, and though it was hidden from the front, a gorgeous garden resided in the backyard, housing enormous rose bushes and quaint garden trees. Yes, the house was modestly beautiful.

Though our accommodations were humble, the objects that sat indolently in front of it were far from. I parked my car next to Jacob's flashy black Ultimate Aero. He had nearly built the car from scratch, along with his garaged Turbine Superbike. For some reason, Jacob never lost his love for automobiles. I cut the engine to mine, opened the door, and slid out of the seat; my purse and shoe in hand. I closed the door behind me and limped towards the walkway, pausing only to turn around and gaze at my own vehicle. The officer was right. It was a nice car. It was a birthday present from Jacob, not too long ago. He didn't build mine; instead he bought me the latest Volkswagen Bugatti Veyron in a sparkling deep blue, when it hadn't even hit the market at the time. It was easy for him, though, as he had started his own car dealership a few decades back, and sold the business to a bunch of CEO sharks. The dealership skyrocketed, and he kept most of the shares in his name; hence where all of our money came from.

Looking at my vehicle parked next to his suddenly warmed me. The pain from the phantom hole in my chest began to fade further away at the thought of Jacob.

Jacob always seemed to do that; he was my remedy for all of my ailments. He knew that, too. I used to call him my personal ray of sunshine, which always came in handy in a city like Seattle.

I felt a smile break across my face, and remembered his words from earlier that morning.

'_Whatever's going on, I'm sure it's not as bad as you think. I mean, come on, you're a vampire! I'd like to see someone just try to mess with you! And besides that, your best friend is a werewolf. Enough said.'_

Jacob was always right. I was strong, and should I need any help, he was stronger. I limped my way to the front door and lifted my keys to the lock. I unlocked the door and made my way inside, still smiling. I looked to my left and found Jacob seated upright on the black leather couch with his head lazily tipped backwards across the top. He was snoring lightly.

My smile grew and I giggled at the scene before me as I limped forward, over to where he slept. I slipped my other heal off and dropped my things next to the couch before crawling up next to him and laying my head in his lap.

Jacob stirred lightly at the sudden weight across his thighs and slowly came to. His brown eyes fluttered open and he lifted his huge hands to ruffle his short, thick, black hair. He gave into a huge yawn at the same time, stretching his russet skin across his beautifully rugged young face. He finished his performance by extending his long arms up and over himself to stretch, and violently shook his head once before settling into consciousness.

"Good morning, sleepy head." I smiled up at him from his waist.

Jake blinked a few times as he tried to focus on me, then shifted his attention to the clock below the TV across the room.

"Bells, it's almost seven-thirty." He noticed. "Since when does it take you an hour and a half to drive home?" He turned his attention back on me, his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Sorry," I felt my smile falter. "I got caught up thinking after I got off the phone with you." I answered, adverting my eyes to anywhere but his face. The memory of what happened earlier on the highway was threatening to make itself present once more.

"So what happened then? You sounded all freaked out over the phone when you called me." Jake persisted.

"Oh, it was really nothing." I suddenly wasn't up to confessing my paranoia, especially since it made me sound utterly insane. "I got over it." I replied coolly.

Jake stared at me in astonishment at first, then quickly changed his expression to disbelief. "Yeah. Right. What happened, Bella?" He asked again.

"I'm serious." I urged, easily convincing myself that what had bothered me earlier was both stupid and insane. If I were able to get over my schizophrenia, then my previous problem would no longer be an unexplainable hindrance. "I sat in my car for a few minutes and spent that time, as well as the drive home, realizing that the whole situation was really nothing."

I stared into Jacob's eyes, trying to convey to him that I no longer wished to talk about it, even though I had woken him up over the whole ordeal. Actually, I suddenly felt bad for worrying him.

"Bella," He pushed, "I haven't heard you talk like that in years, please, tell me what happened; I was afraid you wouldn't make it home for a while there." He studied me with complete sincerity and seriousness.

I looked away once more, finding the best way to hold the conversation in the quickest manner, and then be done with it. I decided to speak up as I continued to stare off at the wall across the room from us. "Jake… I just… I think I just had a relapse. You know, something triggered me to feel that… emotional pain, I mean that pain that hurts all over. Do you understand what I'm saying?" I asked, still staring across the room.

A minute passed before I felt him nod. He stayed silent, though, leaving room for me to continue.

"It sounds stupid, and I realize that it _was_ stupid. I can't even explain why the feeling kicked in to begin with." I was being honest with him; I _couldn't _explain the reasoning behind my relapse, only because it sounded too absurd to pass by in casual conversation unnoticed. "But, whatever the reason, I really am over it now." I finished as I turned my gaze back to the handsomely rugged man above me and smiled reassuringly, as I had done earlier that morning for Lucy.

Jacob still had a look of longing and despair on his face, as though he pitied me, felt for me; as though he wanted desperately to fix me, and I knew whole-heartedly that he _desperately_ wanted to fix me. He just didn't know how.

"Jake, really, I'm fine now." I pleaded with him. His face still held the same look, never breaking from its melancholy stare. I decided to go with a new approach. "Maybe I was secretly on acid before you saved me," I offered, "and this was just its remnants dripping down my spine, creating some crazy flashback."

That did it. Jake's face broke, and he was suddenly gazing at me, as if I were some rare and exotic animal sitting before him in our living room, speaking clear and perfect English… or maybe he thought I was just high… still.

"What the _hell?"_ He barked.

I broke into a fit of laughter and rolled off of his lap and onto the floor.

"Are you on acid _now?"_ He snapped at me over my fit of hysterics, causing me to only continue on louder. "Maybe you working in the hospital is a bad idea;" he continued, "too many temptations." He was smiling by the end of his laughter, and he even joined in somewhat with me as mine began to die down.

When we were both calm and collected, I pulled myself back up to the couch next to him, and this time chose to rest my head on his shoulder. We sat there, absorbing the comfortable silence of the morning as the light from the day began to peek through the curtained windows.

"That reminds me," I whispered, breaking the still air. "Lucy asked about you."

"Why did drug abuse remind you of Lucy asking about me?" Jacob shot back, never missing a beat as he pulled away to stare at me incredulously. "Is she on acid too, or does she think I'm an addict all of a sudden?" he asked, in a tone so serious and to the point that I couldn't help but fall into another fit of giggles all over again.

"N-n-no!" I finally gasped out, once I was out of breath from laughing so hard. As soon as I was finished, I took another breath to continue. "Although, if she knew anything about addicts, I'm sure she would have tossed that idea around in an attempt to understand your foolish behavior." I retorted sarcastically.

"Foolish?" Jacob shouted, standing up from the couch and staring at me with a crazed look. If I hadn't known he was joking around, I probably would have found him intimidating with his broad shoulders and six foot-four frame. "Since when am I _foolish?"_ He barked.

"Oh, shut up, Jake. Give it a rest already. Who do you think you're kidding, anyway? I'm fully aware of your insanity, and I'm sure that anyone else who's come in contact with you is just as informed." I smiled coyly at him in a calm manner.

He stared at me, still crazed, a bit longer before giving in and taking his seat next to me once more. "Foolish? Really?" He muttered, either speaking to himself, or me; I wasn't quite sure. In any case, I chose to ignore it, as we were already off topic. I rolled my eyes and continued my previous subject.

"Lucy wants you to come have lunch with us tomorrow afternoon." I stated.

"Huh, yeah?" He asked, wrapping his head around my statement as he scratched at his messy, sleep-ruffled hair. "I thought Lucy didn't like me."

"That's what I said." I countered. Jacob shot me a look, and I ended up laughing quickly before I continued. "She just thinks you're loud—" I stifled another moment's giggle "—but she enjoys your company. I think she'd really like it if you stopped by again." I added.

Jake thought for a moment, now scratching at the gruff on his chin before answering. "Well, I'll have to check my schedule, talk with a few people, cancel a couple meetings—OW!" I punched him lightly in the gut—or, at least, what I considered to be lightly. "Hey! What was that for?" He asked, feigning a look of hurt.

"Shut up, Jake. Since when did riding off the stock market entail a detailed schedule of important meetings?"

Jake just rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Bella, I would have canceled them anyway. You know I'd never pass up lunch with you—even if you don't exactly eat anything." He smiled sarcastically at me.

We both laughed for a few more minutes in bliss at our playful banter.

"So I have today off," I said, as I stood from the leather couch to stand in front of him. I looked around the room before I turned back to Jake. "What do you want to do?"

"Well," Jake replied as he leaned his back against the couch, falling back into the same position I had found him in when I first entered the house earlier. "I wouldn't mind catching a few more hours of sleep." With that, he tilted his head back across the top of the couch and closed his eyes.

"Nope!" I shouted as I leaned down and grabbed him by his arms to yank him up-right, next to me. "Let's go into town!"

"Bells, it's not even eight in the morning. On a Tuesday." He stopped with that, as if that was enough of an explanation.

"I know. As soon as you're done changing we can go grab some breakfast!" I smiled brightly at him.

He groaned, letting his arms fall limp and his face take on a look of pout. "Breakfast as in _human_ food? Or breakfast as in _lions and tigers and bears_…food?"

"Human food." I replied, my smile never faltering.

Jake suddenly brightened at that thought. "Ok. I'm starving, anyway."

"Good." I giggled. "Go change, and meet me back down here so we can leave. We can take your car." I began as I made my way for the steps. Jacob had the entire basement to himself, and I in turn had the entire second floor to myself. Together we shared the first and main floor, which housed the kitchen, dining room and living room. I stopped on the third stair and turned to catch Jacob before he made his way to the basement door. "Jake!" I called.

"Yeah?"

"How's the weather feeling?"

"Uh…" There was a long pause as he made his assessment. "It'll be warm, over-cast for the most part, but not so much rain today." He called back.

"Thanks!" I yelled before bolting up the stairs to change. I always relied on Jacob for the weather reports, as I believed him to be more in tune with it than the local weatherman. Jake had yet to fail me.

I flew to my closet and dug around for my favorite blue sundress. Once I slipped into the garment, I checked myself over once in the mirror and was pleased with my appearance. I looked as normal as I ever remembered.

I ran down the stairs and regained my seat on the black couch with Jacob nowhere in sight. This was usual, however, as I was much faster than him when he maneuvered in human form. It only took two extra minutes of waiting before he emerged from his area, no longer in pajama pants and a white tee shirt. Instead he donned a nice pair of dark denim jeans and a black, v-necked, short-sleeved shirt. He was spinning the keys to his Aero around his index finger and had a bright, wide smile plastered across his face.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Of course!" I replied.

I stood and grabbed my purse from where I had dropped it, and walked briskly over to the front door, slipping on a pair of heels that had been left there from the night before. Jacob followed me outside and before long, we were both sliding casually into his prized car.

As I pulled the car door shut, I found myself suddenly thrilled and anxious at the idea of spending the entire day out and about with my closest companion.

—

**A/N: **So, that's it for now. You can find out about the rest of their day in the next chapter. Hope you liked it! (I mean, who doesn't enjoy a manically depressed Bella every now and then?) Night, guys. -A.

P.S. Sorry if there are any mistakes or errors in the chapters; this one, like the last, was written and finished at about three in the morning. My apologies:( I only notice so much when I'm sleep-deprived.


	3. Me, You, and My Medication

**Disclaimer:****I do not own **_**Twilight.**_

**A/N:** Sorry this took forever. I came to Cleveland for the holidays! Yay for obnoxiously cold temperatures and dangerous amounts of snow! Anyway, thanks again for the reviews! Here's your next chapter! –A.

—

**Déjà Entendu**

_Annie_

**Chapter Three**

_Me, You, and My Medication_

—

"_We're all addicted to something_

_that takes away the pain."_

-Boys Like Girls

—

Similar to the sickly smooth voice residing in my head that I craved to hear every now and then, Jacob was also like a drug. A remedy, even, if you will. He drove away all my other addictions (or, at least, the one hallucination that I lusted after whenever the hole in my chest decided to split back open). Also, like the voice, Jacob was able to repair that hole. Temporarily, though, of course. He was a treatment that brought me the closest to a full recovery. I honestly don't believe by now that there is such thing at this point as a complete revitalization for me. I figured that if the hole should become too large to secure, well, my next course of action would be suicide; and it wouldn't be half-assed this time, nor a failed attempt.

I knew now how to finalize my fate. I wouldn't need any help in the process either. I had learned how when Jacob's pack and I had defeated that woman vampire many years back. She held some violent grudge against me, screaming something about destroying her one and only true love. She had me mistaken for someone else, yet refused to listen to reason. She threatened my father's life, as well as Jake's. I couldn't have that, and in time, I too refused to listen to reason. I refused to listen to her obscene story about me being the pet of another coven of vampire's. Jake assured her that she was wrong, though she still made every attempt to strike at me. Eventually she needed to be taken care of for the safety of the town we had resided in, as well as the safety of our family and friends. Sam and Jake did most of the work, however I made sure to finish her off. She was quick, even had a knack at escaping, but I had a difficult time watching Jake and Sam both suffer during the war. I jumped in at the last minute and took over, finding that I was much stronger than I had imagined. In fact, I caught her off guard. They had torn her to pieces, and I made sure to continue their progress. In the end, when her limbs appeared to never lose the essence of energy, Jake followed the tellings of an old Quileute legend, and he ordered us all to burn her remains.

That's what did it. Her body crumbled to ash, and I never forgot the site. I imprinted that moment into my memory, and vowed that one day, if ever Jacob failed to cure my unexplainable depression, I would end his and mine own suffering the same way we ended the female vampire's existence. Jake would then be able to calm down and grow old, maybe even find a mate and start a true family.

Until then, I would enjoy my never-ending days with him.

We were on our way into town; Seattle was filled with things to do, and seeing as how it was under a constant cover of clouds, Jake and I made an effort to enjoy extracurricular activities in public as often as possible; always making the most of our time spent in each city. I had promised him breakfast—human breakfast—and I intended to keep my word. I, of course, wouldn't partake in this particular activity, but that didn't mean I wouldn't keep him company. Often, he would have to go in to town and eat alone, seeing as how the site of someone like me refusing food only ended with speculations of anorexia, which wouldn't go over well if word found it's way back to the clinic. Today, however, I would make the exception. Jacob always accompanied me on my hunting trips, and further partook in the action himself. I always felt bad afterwards; Jake was human; he deserved human food, not animal food. I couldn't imagine the remains of rabbits, deer, and bears tasting very good, even as a person.

We pulled into the parking lot of Roseland's Diner. Jake had a soft spot for their omelets.

"You know, Bells, there's no turning back now. You're stuck with me. I hope you have the stomach for some eggs!" Jake teased as we both exited his car.

"Oh, shut up, Jake. I'll just grab some coffee or something. Maybe a muffin. Just try to snag the hidden booth this time, okay?" We walked up to the entrance, and like the gentleman he was, Jake held the door open for me, then followed in behind.

"It shouldn't be too hard, normally I sleep past eight." He mumbled as he followed me into the small diner.

"Shut up, Jake." I reminded him.

He quickly found his way ahead of me and made a beeline for the normally occupied booth located in the corner of the restaurant that was secluded behind a wall attached to a hall that led to the restrooms. Sure enough, just as Jacob had promised, the booth was empty.

"Told ya." He said as he plopped down next to the table.

I took my seat across from him, next to a plant that did a wonderful job of hiding my side of bench. A moment later, a very tired looking waitress, who appeared to be in her mid-forties, approached us.

"Good morning," She greeted with lack of enthusiasm, "what can I get ya?"

"A ham and cheese omelet—extra cheese, three strips of bacon, two sides of grits, a side of cottage cheese, another side of biscuits and gravy, a small stack of pancakes, and toast on wheat bread with extra strawberry jelly." Jake rambled.

I watched as the woman struggled to get the whole order down and waited patiently for her to turn to me.

After a moment she finally was ready for mine.

"And how about you, hon?"

"Just a cup of coffee—black, and a blueberry muffin, please." I smiled warmly at the aged waitress.

"Oh!" Jake spoke up suddenly. "Can I get a tall glass of chocolate milk, too?"

"Sure thing, handsome." She smiled at him before making her way back to the kitchen to ring in our food.

"Chocolate milk?" I asked him after the waitress left.

"What? I haven't had chocolate milk in forever!" He replied drastically.

"How old are you again?"

"One-hundred and four." He answered smugly, smiling in a matter-of-fact fashion. "Speaking of, what are you getting me for my birthday?" He asked, relaxing his face and exchanging his expression for one of excited curiosity.

"Is it June already?"

Jacob stayed silent for a moment, then shook his head in what seemed to be disbelief. "Bells, you work _way_ too much."

I sat in deep thought for a moment. I couldn't believe I had lost track of the months. "Oh." Was all I was able to say.

A few more minutes passed by before the waitress returned with half of our food. She handed me my coffee and muffin, then proceeded to place Jake's milk and select portions of food in front of him. She had to leave and make a second trip to deliver the rest.

"Well what exactly do you _want_ for your birthday?" I asked him as he stabbed ruthlessly at his pancakes.

He chewed on a piece of the syrupy mess before he spoke—before swallowing, of course—through a mouthful of a food.

"I dink I aunt anudder bike." He said, spitting a little food as he pronounced the last word.

"Etiquette, Jake. Etiquette." I reminded him as I used one of our napkins to wipe up the small mess he managed to make. "Now, after you swallow, go ahead and say that again so I may understand you."

Jake swallowed his bite-full quickly before answering my previous question.

"I think I want another bike."

He stabbed once more at his food and shoveled more into his mouth.

I grabbed my phone to check the date and noticed that it was the twenty-second day of the month. His birthday was less than a week away. Then an idea hit me.

"You want to stop at the Harley dealership after this?" I asked. "Just nod or shake your head, please." I added hastily noticing his mouth was full once more.

Jake nodded his head enthusiastically as he, again, quickly swallowed the rest of his food.

"Can we?" He asked as he cut himself more large pieces of pancake to eat. "I think I know which one I want, but I have to check it out and stuff. When do they open?"

He shoveled more food into his mouth.

"Umm…" I checked the watch on my wrist. It was nearly eight-thirty. "If I had to guess, probably ten or so. Though, they may already be open. What bike do you want, anyway?" I asked. "Swallow first." I added once more.

He did as he was told before speaking.

"The new Night Rod they came out with. The thing's drop-dead-gorgeous. I figure I could even tune the beauty up and add a turbine tank to it, ya know, enhance its speed and all, like my other one." Jake had apparently finished his pancakes—in three bites, I might add—and moved on to his omelet.

"Well, yeah, let's go check it out after this. Maybe I'll get one myself."

"Danks Bells!" Jake said, spitting more food everywhere.

I made a face as I grabbed a napkin and wiped up the mess. "You're welcome, Jacob."

The time passed quickly. It mainly consisted of watching Jake wolf down his food (no pun intended) and often cleaning up his mess as we made small chit-chat. My muffin sat untouched, and only a few sips escaped from the steaming cup of black coffee in front of me. When Jake finished his portion of the food, he made sure to eat the rest of mine, and even finish my coffee before the waitress came back with the check.

"Keep the change." I advised her as I handed her the check and we stood from our booth. I watched carelessly as Jake wiped off the crumbs that had spilled onto his lap before he followed me out the door and over to his car.

"Harley store?" He asked me as he climbed into the driver's seat of his car.

"Lead the way, captain." I answered as I shut my passenger's side door in response.

Jake sped out of the parking lot and drove back onto the high way, knowing the exact route needed to take to get to our destination.

Not even five minutes had passed before we found ourselves in a similar parking lot to that of the diner, the only difference being the noticeable amount of motorcycles also occupying the large area of lined concrete.

Jake let out a low whistle before he cut the engine and grabbed the handle to his door. He was staring ahead, his vision directed at the displayed bike that sat behind the front glass window of the building.

"Isn't she a beaut?"

I followed his line of site and examined the sleek black bike perched on a stand.

"That's the bike you want?" I asked, holding onto the handle of my own door, mirroring his position.

"That's the bike I want." He replied.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go look at it!" I pulled on the handle and helped myself once more out of his car. Jake followed suit.

We made our way inside the store and straight over to the displayed bike. Jake immediately began analyzing it, checking the tires and running his fingers over the gears, muttering things like, "V-twin engine," and "Slipper-clutch" and "Brembo brakes." Honestly, I only understood half of what he was saying; yet apparently, he seemed pretty enthused over the whole thing.

"Bells, they discontinued this line back in 2008! It's practically a legend!" He exclaimed after straightening himself up.

"Totally is, man. You lookin' to buy it?" An older gentleman, seeming to be in his mid thirties with long, tied back gray hair, approached us. He wore a leather Harley-Davidson vest and matching black pants.

Jacob laughed. "I'm lookin' for _her_ to buy it for me. Birthday present. You know."

The gentleman then glanced my way with a look of disbelief. "You bagged yourself one hell of a woman!" He said, staring at me in both awe and shock. This expression was common amongst most males who took a minute to analyze my appearance, although, this time I wasn't sure if that was the case, or if he seriously had never seen a woman buy a man a bike before.

Before I could correct, or rather state Jacob and mine's relationship, Jake quickly threw his arm around my shoulders and continued his laughter. "You're tellin' me!" Then kissed my cheek.

I found myself caught off guard, then suddenly fell into their rhythm and began laughing with him. It seemed to be the only logical response to his kidding around, and honestly, at this point, I didn't quite mind it anymore.

Jake eventually let go of his hold on me and walked back over to the bike.

"Tell me a little about her engine here…" and the salesman followed.

I stood behind and watched the scene in front of me, bored. I was just waiting for the guy to tell me how much the entire package would cost, when suddenly my phone buzzed and sounded off from inside my purse.

I grabbed a hold of it quickly and glanced at the caller ID. I didn't recognize the number.

"Doctor Isabella Swan speaking." I said into the phone after answering.

"Doctor Swan? It's Alicia." She sounded timid on the other line.

"Hi Alicia! What can I do for you?"

"I'm really sorry about this, I know it's your day off, but you told me to call in case we needed anything…" She didn't finish her statement.

"Alicia, please, don't be afraid to ask me anything. Is Lucy all right?" I asked, trying to re-assure her of my help.

"Well, that's why I called. I have to run into work for a couple hours, and I don't think I'll be back until later tonight. But she doesn't want me to leave. She's nervous around the new doctor, and keeps asking me to call you. I know it's your day off, and I told her you might be busy, but I promised to call anyway."

"Alicia, really, it's no problem, I'd rather be there than at home. Does she want me to stop in while you're out?"

"That's exactly what she wants. You don't have to stay; she just wants to see you. You know how she hates being alone, but it's work, I have to go…"

"Alicia, I understand. You do not need to justify yourself to me; I'll be there in a few minutes. Jacob is actually with me, and she's asked to see him again. We'll make a personal visit." I said smiling. This had caught Jake's attention. He stopped talking to the salesman and instead focused his attention on my end of the conversation.

"Really? You really don't mind? I feel terrible ruining your day with this—" I cut her off.

"You are _not_ ruining my day! I love spending time with Lucy, and I know she hates being alone, too. Really, it would be a pleasure to stop in! We'll be there in a few minutes. Do you have to leave now, or will I be able to say 'hi' before you run off?" I asked her.

"I'm afraid I have to go as soon as I get off the phone. Again, I really am sorry about the short notice and all."

"Alicia, please, don't apologize. Let Lucy know that Jake and I will be there as soon as possible. I'll see you Wednesday."

"Thank you, Doctor Swan. You really are an angel. Bye." She hung up the phone before I could protest her label. I snapped my phone shut and placed it back into my purse, then turned to Jake. "We're going to the hospital."

His face automatically fell. "But, Bells! My bike!" He looked like a six year old in a grocery store who was just told by his mother that he couldn't have any candy.

"Jake, it's not your birthday for another week. The bike will still be here. Let's go." I then turned my attention to the salesman. "Sorry, we'll be back in a few days."

He didn't protest, but instead held a look of concern. "Is everything all right?" He asked.

"Oh, yes. Just stopping in on short notice to see a patient of mine. No worries." I said, smiling at his kind care. "But thank you anyways for your time mister…"

"Green. Ray Green." He answered for me as he held out his hand for me to shake. I stepped over to him and took it gratefully.

"Well, Mister Green, I promise we will be back, and I will be sure to come to you first."

"I appreciate it." He smiled back after removing his hand from mine. "And call me Ray. 'Mister Green' makes me feel old. I'm still kickin'!" He laughed. I joined in, and began to laugh harder when I noticed Jake still pouting as he stared longingly at the black bike.

"Come on, Jake. I promise, you'll have it by your birthday. It was nice to meet you, Ray. See you soon." I added as I turned and headed back for the door. When I reached the exit, I called back to Jake without even making the effort to look over my shoulder. "Come on, Jake. Staring at it only makes things worse." I pushed the glass doors aside and headed straight for his car.

Jake met me a few seconds later and made his way into the front seat. He started the engine without a word, and drove off in the direction of the clinic. His face held a look of disappointment as he sped silently.

"Oh, don't be so bitter. It's just a bike." I said to him as I stared out my side of the car.

"Just a bike? _Just_ _a bike?"_ He repeated, however he didn't finish his thought. Instead he stayed silent as he pulled off the high way onto an exit ramp that led to the hospital. Occasionally I caught him muttering about how the whole trip was a tease.

He made his way into the parking lot and let the engine die after he found a suitable space. We both helped ourselves from the confines of his vehicle and he followed me into the medical facility, and down the hall towards the children's ward. I made sure to keep an eye out for John on my way in, knowing that if he saw me, he'd only raise hell about me not resting.

We were now approaching the door to Lucy's room.

"Hold up a sec." Jake stopped me abruptly. "Where's the bathroom? All that food is getting to me now..."

"Uh, down a little ways past Lucy's room and over to the right. Be quick, though! I have a feeling John will be kicking us out soon." I yelled after him as he made his way in the direction I pointed towards.

I walked up to Lucy's room, knocked softly to make her aware of my presence, as always, and stepped in. Lucy was wide-awake, flipping through her Harry Potter book as she sat up-right in her bed.

"Well, hello, hello!" I announced when she looked up at my entrance.

"Doctor Swan!" She shouted, dropping her book into her lap and quickly forgetting about it. "I knew you'd come. Mommy wouldn't call you, but I knew you wouldn't be sleeping. You never sleep." She laughed as she finished her sentence.

I took a seat in the familiar chair beside her bed and caught the time on the clock. It was approaching eleven.

"Have you met the new doctor yet?" I asked her.

"Yeah," she replied, making herself more comfortable in the bed to talk with me. "He came in an hour ago." I could see the blood rise to her cheeks and color her face as she said this.

"I take it he's monitoring your progress today. Do you like him at least? Is he friendly to you?" I asked her.

"Yeah, he's nice and all. We talked about you when he was here." Her flush returned to normal with a look of confusion replacing it.

"Oh, yeah?" I asked as I vividly remembered the tall and lean vampire. I could only guess that he'd be interested in a being similar to himself. It was, after all, odd to find vampires working in hospitals. It would be one thing for him to assume me to be a vampire working in a clinic for the free and painless dietary supply; however, with that last glance that we had shared before I had stormed out, he would have known better at that point. My irises weren't red, as they should be if I fed on human blood. Instead, mine were topaz, maybe even a honey considering I had hunted not too long ago. Yes, mine were a soft and gentle yellow; exactly like his. No wonder he questioned my closest patient about my presence here. "What did you guys say about me?" I asked her.

"He just asked how long you had been working here, and how close we were. It was kinda boring. I think he likes you." She answered; I could hear her blood flow rapidly to her face this time.

I laughed. She was so off the mark that I couldn't help it. It was cute, though. Instead of feeding her naïveté however, I changed the subject.

"So I have a surprise for you!" I exclaimed.

Her eyes lit up, and she was suddenly excited and nearly bouncing out of her bed. I subtly feared that she might rip the IV lines from her monitor—or worse, her skin.

"What is it? What is it?!" She continued to bounce.

"Calm down, calm down!" I laughed and placed my hands on her shoulders gently to persuade her to sit still. "You have to guess!" I continued to play around with her after she settled down a bit.

In that moment a swift movement came from the door; I knew it was to quick for Lucy's human eyes and reactions to catch. Doctor Masen had entered the room.

I looked over to him, and he stood stiff and statue-like in front of the now closed door staring intently at the scene before him. He did not look to me, though, which suddenly scent a shiver down my back as a feeling of déjà vu overtook me. He was exactly as I had remembered him, except this time, a white coat covered hid forest green sweater that stretched across his clearly chiseled chest. His yellow eyes held a blank look as he inhaled a large gasp of breath, then ran a hand through his disheveled bronzed hair that seemed to carry a deep auburn tint in the florescent light. He stalked over to Lucy's monitor with his clipboard in hand, and acted as though nothing were awkward.

"Did you rest at all since I was last here, Lucy?" Doctor Masen asked without looking at her as he scribbled down statistics across his clipboard.

"A little." She mumbled. I knew she was lying; however she seemed to fool the handsome young vampire, for he nodded in agreement away from her.

"And how about you, Doctor Swan?" He asked, taking me by surprise. He still looked away from us.

"Um," I stammered, lost at what to say for the first time in ages, not counting this morning. Suddenly the thought of John walking in woke me from my stupor and I was able to find my voice once more. "Is Doctor Wellington around? I'm not looking to upset him with me being here; I know he'll only tell me to go home and rest if he sees me." I prattled on, wondering idly how long I'd be able to stay in Lucy's room and visit.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a number of emotions pass across Doctor Masen's face at my words, yet I couldn't quite decipher any of them. It seemed as though he found something humorous about the situation but was having a hard time smiling, all of which clearly frustrated him as well. It seemed odd, as though he were struggling with some inner turmoil. I was about to ask him if everything was okay, fearing that it may have something to do with Lucy or my rebellious presence, when another look abruptly took control of his face—one of panic—the suddenly another one mixed with some sort of understanding, as though he had reached an epiphany.

At that exact moment, precisely when the doctor's emotions had changed so violently, the door to Lucy's room opened once more, and I immediately knew who it was.

Three things happened in that brief second that seemed to last longer than physics should allow:

Lucy jumped from her bed, shouting, "Jake!" and ripped her IV line straight from her arm. Jacob whispered a, "No!" in panic at the scene before him, his eyes fixated on the male doctor in front of him. And a loud growl erupted and echoed around us, yet I was almost positive that it had not come from me.

—

**A/N:** So…? What do you guys think? Good? Bad? Huge cliffhanger, I know. Again, I apologize for the wait, I just settled in back home for the holiday break. I'll update again, but I know it won't be before Christmas. In fact, I apologize in advance if it takes a while. I've been preoccupied now that schoolwork and finals aren't on my mind. But I'll make it happen eventually! HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Don't forget to review with your comments. Constructive criticism is appreciated :) – A.

P.S.: Sorry for the title confusion. I considered to go with the unofficial title rather than what it was. It had more meaning; or so I believed. Hope I didn't anger anyone!


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